Another Hip Hop great passes away
Heavy D aka 44 year old Dwight Myers passed away yesterday in Beverley Hills, California. At the time of his death, the Jamaica born MC/rapper real name Dwight Arrington Myers was working on a new album ‘Love Opus’ and only a few weeks ago appeared at the 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards. He was rushed to hospital Tuesday afternoon after collapsing at his home. According the reports, Heavy D had just returned from shopping and was walking up some stairs when he began having trouble breathing. Adam Mills, a designer who was in the building and knew Heavy D, found him leaning against a railing and clearly in distress. Mills spoke to the media telling them that he cradled the rapper in his lap as others called 911. Heavy D was conscious at the time, telling Mills: “I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe.”. When the paramedics arrived, he still had a pulse. A police statement read: ‘There are no obvious signs of foul play, and at this time his death is believed to be medically related.’ The case has been referred to the Coroner’s Office to determine the official cause of death.
Dwight was leader of Heavy D & The Boyz who released five albums all on the Uptown label. The group included G-Whiz, DJ Eddie F., and the late ‘Trouble’ T. Roy who helped inspire Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth‘s ‘They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)’. Between 1987 and 1994, Heavy D & The Boyz worked with the likes of Notorious B.I.G., DJ Premier, Marley Marl and long time affiliate and fellow Mount Vernon native Pete Rock. As a solo artist, Heavy D remained close with Uptown Records executive Sean “Diddy” Combs and the mogul’s Bad Boy Records imprint, despite never releasing a Bad Boy album. Recently, Heavy D released Grammy-nominated Reggae album Vibes on the Stride label in 2008. Previously, D had released Waterbed Hev in 1997 and a self-titled 1999 album.
